Lack of activity in the sales funnel is the single biggest contributor to lack of success in sales, and your sales pipeline is the hub. It remains the most important metric for success. HubSpot reports that companies that master pipeline management see 28% higher revenue growth. So it's more than keeping your pipeline full - it must be well-managed to continuously achieve desired results.

According to Jeb Blount, top producers and sales superstars are fanatical prospectors who take personal responsibility for identifying and creating their own sales opportunities. Keeping track of the qualified leads can be a challenge, especially for the typical outside sales rep. HubSpot’s CRM has deal stages, and they can be tracked from Prospect to Close.  Here are my tips on the best way to utilize the deal stages.

1. Customize your deal stages

The typical sales rep has developed a way of managing their pipeline and is very weary of making changes, especially when introduced to a new CRM tool. Never fear, HubSpotis here! Its deal stages are completely customizable for each user, and it is user-friendly.

2. Probability Settings

Each stage has a probability attached to it which is a valuable reporting metric. For example, a scheduled appointment has a 20% probability to close, and a qualifying call has a 40% probability to close. This is a great reporting metric for weekly sales team meetings to show activity for the year.

3. Associations

Deals are created in the company section of the CRM and can be associated with any contact within that company.  Several decision-makers are brought in through the multiple stages of the process and all can be associated with the deal for communication purposes. All of the information remains in one spot.

4. Document, Schedule, and Remind

Within the Deal Stages, there is a place for taking notes while you are on a call, or the call can be recorded. This is an ideal feature if sales calls are being made during “windshield time”. Imagine being on a call and not having to pull over to take notes. Genius. Future appointments can be scheduled as well and will merge with your existing calendar.

5. Track Revenue

Each deal has a value and can track the revenue earned for the company. Whether a one-time fee or a monthly retainer it can be customized accordingly. The deals that are closed will track as closed/won or closed/lost and a financial report will show earnings. The report can be filtered to show monthly, quarterly, or yearly.

Most salespeople have their own unique selling style and having an adaptable system is a key to success. HubSpot’s deal stages make tracking sales easy and reportable through their remarkable CRM.

CRM for Manufacturing Company

Learn more about the ways HubSpot excels as a CRM for B2B companies like manufacturers.

Originally published in February 2016, this post was updated on June 20, 2023.